CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
I should've known.
My chin went up and I felt so proud holding Ressler. As we walked down the gazebo hand in hand, the bridesmaids and groomsmen followed suit and a wonderful music took over again.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on us and we received such admiration that made my eyes blurry in vision. I stopped myself from crying in joy because it would ruin my make up.
There were many hugs and kisses from our families, friends and relatives as everyone congratulated us and wished us all the best for our married life.
Our families were so happy that the wedding ceremony went well and ended on time. Ressler's parents had planned a great reception for us and invited many guests. It was held in a large deck over the river with tons of red flowers and white balloons. The color scheme was decided by Brooklyn and it was a mesmerizing combination of white and red.
My brother, together with our friends, had planned a lot of things for the reception. They had games and an elaborate introduction of the families. The introduction was the most entertaining and hilarious part of the whole reception as Miguel and Franco tried their very best to reveal our friends' funniest moments. Lahat ng bisita ay maya't maya tumatawa. Well, who wouldn't? Miguel and Franco are the best combo pagdating sa kalokohan. Idagdag mo pa mismo ang Kuya ko pati na rin si Ressler.
After all the guests met us and blessed us with their good wishes, my father announced our first dance. I was shy yet at the same time I was looking forward to it. We never danced before. We never even had a heart-to-heart conversation.
Ressler held my hand and took me slowly and gently to the dance floor. He went down on his knees and in front of everyone asked me, "May I have the pleasure of dancing with my wife?" I was so taken up by his loving gesture that I blushed even more than before.
I placed my hands around his shoulder and he wrapped his arms around my waist. I couldn't stop staring at him. He's the hottest man I've ever seen.
"So, you're a Morris now. Welcome to the club," he grinned. I chuckled, placing my hands around his nape.
"That was my dream, but now I'm living that dream," I shrugged nonchalantly and he laughed. "You know I love you, right?"
"I won't marry you if I didn't know that," he hissed. I pinched his nose lightly.
"You're really good at ruining the moment, Ressler," I said, rolling my eyes all over him.
We stopped short when Zild suddenly appeared in front of us. "Can I have a dance with my ex?" he said, trying to tease Ressler.
Ressler scoffed, shaking his head with disbelief. "We're married now but you're still getting in the way," he paused and raised a brow at him. "But because she married me, now you're not a threat," he proudly said before stepping one step away.
Zild raised an eyebrow at him. "She wouldn't marry you in the first place if I really have gotten in the way, Ress. Don't you think?"
"Alright, stop it already," awat ko sa kanila at pare-pareho kaming natawa. Marahan akong binitawan ni Ressler at iniabot niya ang kamay ko kay Zild.
"I'll get her back after five minutes," he warned him.
"Seriously? Lagi mo kong inoorasan," Zild complained.
"Take it or leave it," Ressler said, shrugging before leaving the dance floor.
Zild placed his hands on my waist as I gently put my hands around his shoulders. "I'm glad that you ended up with Ressler," he said, flashing me a genuine smile.
"Thank you, Zild. But I'll be happier if you find yourself a love that is true, too," I said in the sincerest way.
He gave me a half smile. "Yeah, I'll be finding it too, just not now."
"Bakit naman?" I asked. "You're 28 already, dapat nga kasal ka na sa edad mong 'yan," I added.
"I still have feelings for you, so I think that won't be possible for now," he chuckled.
"What the? Really?" I said, raising both of my eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah," he said, laughing.
"How come you're not stealing me from Ressler?" pagbibiro ko kaya mas lalo siyang natawa.
"As if you'll choose me over him," he scoffed.
"Yeah, of course I won't trade Ressler for another man. Not even you," I honestly said.
Natigilan si Zild bigla kaya nagtaka ako. Nasaktan ba siya sa sinabi ko?
"Your nose is bleeding, Tam," he stated. Napabitaw ako sa kanya at agad na napatakip ng ilong.
"I—I'm fine," I said, trying not to worry him but I failed. He grabbed my arm and tried to press it gently but it bruised easily and started bleeding.
"F*ck Tam, you're clearly not fine," galit na sabi niya.
"Please hinaan mo boses mo. Baka marinig ka nila," pakiusap ko sa kanya.
He let out a deep sigh and pulled me out of the reception. Nang masigurado niya na wala ng tao sa paligid namin, he started talking.
"Does your husband know?"
"No. I mean, he knows I'm bleeding and bruising easily but I always tell him it's no big deal."
"And he really believed that?" he scoffed with disbelief. "I'll take you to the hospital right now. They need to check you on, Tam. If you don't want to come with me right now, don't blame me if I tell Ressler right away what's happening here."
I closed my eyes, trying to process what just happened. I had no choice but to come with him.
* * *
"So, I took a look at Tam's CBC. Her white blood count is very low. I'll need a bone marrow aspiration to confirm, but it seems that you have leukemia."
Parang tumigil ang mundo ko nang marinig ko ang sinabi ni Dra. Lagura.
"L-Leukemia?" I tried to ask again if I heard it right but she just nodded.
"It's a cancer," she stated.
Tears started running down my face. I had a feeling that there was something wrong with me, but I never thought that it would be this bad.
Those signs and symptoms I've been experiencing for the past few years, I shouldn't have ignored it. I was anemic, I was experiencing vertigo, I was bruising and bleeding easily.
I should've known . . .
I chose to ignore it because I thought it was normal for an architecture student to experience all those things.
I ended up wrong, big time.
"When will you need the bone marrow aspiration for confirmation, Doc?" Zild asked her.
"We'll schedule it this week, Mr. Morris. Make sure you'll be with your wife when we do it."
Zild glanced at me and then back to the doctor. "She's not my wife," he said, giving her a half smile. Dra. Lagura's eyes widened.
"Oh, I thought—I'm sorry. It's just that you have the same surname, and you're both wearing a—uhhh," she said, pointing out her finger to my wedding gown and Zild's suit.
"Oh, this," Zild said, nodding his head as he understood what the doctor meant. "It is her wedding day, with my cousin."
"Oh, that explains the surname," she said, flashing us a smile.
But I couldn't smile back right at this moment.
Zild cupped my face and stared at me. "Hey," he called me in the calmest way. "They will still confirm it, okay? I'll be with you for the bone marrow aspiration if you still don't want Ressler to know about this," he said, assuring me that everything's gonna be fine, kahit na alam naman naming pareho na hindi naman 'to magiging maayos.
"I'm here, okay? You're not alone in this," he added, giving me a soft kiss on my forehead.
If I only knew that it would be this bad, I shouldn't have married Ressler.
I was a selfish b*tch who married a healthy man who just got unlucky to have a dying wife.